Foreword
I would like to make this guide short and straight forward as it will be easier for everyone to read and understand.
Introduction to Dragon Knight
PROS/CONS
For complete skills and stats details of DK, click here
Skill build
Breathe Fire is maxed as it is your main nuke while Dragon Tail is only up once just for your survivability. Notice that the duration of stun when maxed is just an 0.75 sec extra. Stats is up rather than Dragon Blood normally as you have a very high base armor which is 5 at lvl 1. Although maxing Dragon Blood will give you a higher EHP compared to Stats, your current hp is low. Take note that spell damage is not reduced by armor value. Therefore, Stats is up to increase your hp so that you will not be vulnerable to spells during the early phase of the game. Besides that, Stats will increase your mana capacity so you won't have a problem spamming Breathe Fire to increase your farming speed later. However if you are laning against heroes that have higher DPS, feel free maxing Dragon Blood instead of Stats. As for Elder Dragon Form, only the 1st lvl is taken because the 1st lvl of Elder Dragon Form can destroy tower faster which is essential during the mid game period. You need to take down towers quickly to farm up faster. However, the 2nd lvl of Elder Dragon Form only provide you cleave damage. Personally, I doubt anyone could farm out all his items at lvl11. So, this skill is not up until lvl 15.
The Dragon Blood Build
The Stats Built
Item built ( in order )
Early game
If you randomed
803 in total)
If you picked574 in total)
Mid game (Before level 16)11825 in total)
End game (After level 16)6150/5500 in total)
Item Justification
Try to get one of your teammates to buy a chicken because your early game items are more important. Ring of health is rushed as you don't have any extra hp regeneration if you are going for the Stats built. If not, go for Treads instead. With the +5hp/sec you can stay in your lane longer to farm and get more exp. Treads is taken later to increase your strength and your farming speed as well as your survivability. Battle Fury is picked 1st to maximise your farming ability. Try reduce every creep's hp to about half (which can be done easlily with Battle Fury by hitting every creep once) and finish them off with a Breathe Fire. Don't worry to spam as you already have a 150% mana regeneration. Janggo and SNY are taken later to fix your STR, AS and MS. The maim provided by Sange will also increase your chasing ability. Finally, choose either Heart or Satanic to increase your survivability.
Playing Style
Alawys carry a TP with you to avoid gank and to farm in all lanes. Take down enemies' towers using lvl1 Elder Dragon Form . Sometimes when enemies are pushing your tower, you could go for tower trade by pushing theirs, it is worth it. Always remember your role as a carry and farm fast. Get your items before you turn into a monster at lvl16. At lvl16, kindly ask your teammates to go for massive push with you. DK's maximum potential is at lvl16 so don't waste it. Don't forget to activate your janggo during teambattle and abuse your Elder Dragon Form. Only stun when there is someone casting a channeling spell or when chasing enemy heroes down as you might be targeted easily if you rushed forward to cast Dragon Tail. Finally, try to end the game ASAP after you reach lvl16 as your opponent's carry will become stronger than you if you drag the game.
Items Not To Get
Jusitification
OK, before I get flammed, I know that most items above are common for Dragon Knight. However, they aren't suitable for my playing style. Firstly, Soul ring might be a good item but you are already going for Battle Fury. So, dont waste unnecessary gold. Furthermore, with your early game str, you cant afford to lose that extra 150 hp. You are a farmer not some mid game killer. Leave Armlet and go for Battle Fury. Besides, if you dont have high amount of hp, activating Armlet will decrease your hp to zero before you even notice it. Alright, I might be over exaggerating and I have to agree that Armlet provides alot good stats for DK. However, you need to invest your early game gold into better farming items. Armlet can be purchased later in the game but I would rather go for better items such as SNY and Heart. Radiance seems to be a good item but you already have a splash damage. You need stats, AS and MS not just raw damage. Lastly, Deso, Skadi and Basher are just useless during your Elder Dragon Form.
Conclusion
DK is an all rounded hero and is best used as a carry. However, he needs massive amount of farm and good teammates to support him. Moreover, he is only strong during lvl16-lvl20. Therefore, we seldom see him being used in world tournaments.
FAQ
Q: Why do you choose BF?
A: Notice that I didn't care leveling up my 2nd level Elder Dragon Form till lvl15. FYI, the 1st level of Elder Dragon Form does not have a splash attack. Although BF's cleave damage is useless during Elder Dragon Form, you can farm alot faster with BF in human form during early stages.(One hit on every creeps + a Breath Fire) HotD is not taken early as the 1st level of Elder Dragon Form has an orb effect that is too great to lose.
Q: Why don't you level up your 2nd level Elder Dragon Form at level 11?
A: Level 1 Elder Dragon Form takes down tower about two times faster than Level 2 Elder Dragon Form. Tower gold is essential during early game stages.
Q: Why didn't you mention about ganking?
A: It is pretty obvious you are not a good ganker. Judging by the stun range, and low movement speed, it is hard for you to land a stun unless you get someone with a long stun duraton to gank with you. Why don't leave ganking to your teammates (who have better ganking heroes) and farm an extra two or three creepwaves which gives you around 400 gold? If you really like ganking, then don't choose DK.
Q: Why don't you go for Soul Ring, Armlet, HoTD, Hyperstone and Radiance build?
A: I would like to ask which item you will get 1st. If you rush Radiance, it will surely increase you farming speed. However, Radiance cost 800 more than BF and it is not easy to keep 3800 gold. Radiance provides raw damage, and no mana and hp regeneration. Let's say you go for Soul Ring later. Then, you will need another 800 gold. Just top up 125 gold and I can go for a Janggo which increases all stats by 9, add 9 damage and some bonus movement speed and attack speed. Some of you will disagree with me as you guys will go for the Armlet, Soul Ring + HotD build. Note that you need some serious farming to farm out these items too which cost a total of 5250 gold. Assuming you guys level up your lvl2 Elder Dragon Form at lvl11 and start farming with it. Fair enough, you will get the cleave damage and farm fast but why spent so much to farm? As I say, armlet is for those mid game killer and ganker such as Huskar, Sladar and Spirit Breaker. Notice that these heroes have high att speed and can deal huge amount of DPS in a short period of time. The bonus str, as and damage are essential for them during tower diving and killing heores quickly. As for hyperstone, I already have the AS from Janggo and SNY. However, you can always purchase it later during later phase of the game.
Q: Why do you choose SNY?
A:SNY provides abit of everything. It solves you AS and MS problem, provide some HP and a little damage. Works and stacks well with Janggo.
Q: Why don't you include BKB into your item built?
A: BKB is totally situational. DK can abuse it's range during Elder Dragon Form which makes BKB not a core item.
Q: What is the weakness of your built?
A: Alot people mentioned about the wasted cleave damage from BF but it depends on how you judge it. Long ago, people tend to get Secpters for OD just for its int to maximise it's ulti damage. (note that Secpter those days do not upgrade its ultimate like today) Another thing is I don't really focus alot on DPS items.
Q: Why don't you provide other alternative build for DK?
A: As you can see, alot people already know the traditional build for DK, so there is no point pointing it out again. Items are always situational. For example, you can skip BF and go for Armlet and level up level 2 Elder Dragon Form to defend against a very heavy pusing line up. However, if you can't find space to farm, there is a problem with your team strategy.
Last Word
Happy Owning!
I would like to make this guide short and straight forward as it will be easier for everyone to read and understand.
Introduction to Dragon Knight
PROS/CONS
- Has a nuke
- Has a stun
- Quite high str gain
- High armor value
- Has a strong ultimate
- Low base str
- Low int gain
- Short range stun
- Needs alot of farm
- Only strong at lvl16-lvl20
For complete skills and stats details of DK, click here
Skill build
- Dragon Tail
- Breathe Fire
- Breathe Fire
- Stats
- Breathe Fire
- Elder Dragon Form
- Breathe Fire
- Stats
- Stats
- Stats
- Dragon Blood
- Dragon Blood
- Dragon Blood
- Dragon Blood
- Elder Dragon Form
- Elder Dragon Form
- Dragon Tail
- Dragon Tail
- Dragon Tail
- Stats
- Stats
- Stats
- Stats
- Stats
- Stats
Breathe Fire is maxed as it is your main nuke while Dragon Tail is only up once just for your survivability. Notice that the duration of stun when maxed is just an 0.75 sec extra. Stats is up rather than Dragon Blood normally as you have a very high base armor which is 5 at lvl 1. Although maxing Dragon Blood will give you a higher EHP compared to Stats, your current hp is low. Take note that spell damage is not reduced by armor value. Therefore, Stats is up to increase your hp so that you will not be vulnerable to spells during the early phase of the game. Besides that, Stats will increase your mana capacity so you won't have a problem spamming Breathe Fire to increase your farming speed later. However if you are laning against heroes that have higher DPS, feel free maxing Dragon Blood instead of Stats. As for Elder Dragon Form, only the 1st lvl is taken because the 1st lvl of Elder Dragon Form can destroy tower faster which is essential during the mid game period. You need to take down towers quickly to farm up faster. However, the 2nd lvl of Elder Dragon Form only provide you cleave damage. Personally, I doubt anyone could farm out all his items at lvl11. So, this skill is not up until lvl 15.
The Dragon Blood Build
| Level 6 |
| Dragon Blood lvl 1 HP-777 Armor-8(33%) EHP-1160 |
| Level 8 |
| Dragon Blood lvl 2 HP-872 Armor-11(39%) EHP-1430 |
| Level 9 |
| Dragon Blood lvl 3 HP-929 Armor-13(44%) EHP-1660 |
| Level 10 |
| Dragon Blood lvl 4 HP-986 Armor-15(48%) EHP-1896 |
The Stats Built
| Level 6 |
| Stats lvl1 HP-815 Armor-6.3(28%) EHP-1132 |
| Level 8 |
| Stats lvl2 HP-948 Armor-7.6(31%) EHP-1374 |
| Level 9 |
| Stats lvl3 HP-1043 Armor-7.8(32%) EHP-1534 |
| Level 10 |
| Stats lvl4 HP-1138 Armor-8.1(34%) EHP-1724 |
- Items are NOT included in the calculation above
- By comparing raw hp, Stats built has a 152 higher hp
- By comparing EHP, Dragon Blood built has a 172 higher hp
Item built ( in order )
Early game
If you randomed
803 in total)If you picked
574 in total)Mid game (Before level 16)
-> 
-> 
-> 
11825 in total)End game (After level 16)
/
6150/5500 in total)Item Justification
Try to get one of your teammates to buy a chicken because your early game items are more important. Ring of health is rushed as you don't have any extra hp regeneration if you are going for the Stats built. If not, go for Treads instead. With the +5hp/sec you can stay in your lane longer to farm and get more exp. Treads is taken later to increase your strength and your farming speed as well as your survivability. Battle Fury is picked 1st to maximise your farming ability. Try reduce every creep's hp to about half (which can be done easlily with Battle Fury by hitting every creep once) and finish them off with a Breathe Fire. Don't worry to spam as you already have a 150% mana regeneration. Janggo and SNY are taken later to fix your STR, AS and MS. The maim provided by Sange will also increase your chasing ability. Finally, choose either Heart or Satanic to increase your survivability.
Playing Style
Alawys carry a TP with you to avoid gank and to farm in all lanes. Take down enemies' towers using lvl1 Elder Dragon Form . Sometimes when enemies are pushing your tower, you could go for tower trade by pushing theirs, it is worth it. Always remember your role as a carry and farm fast. Get your items before you turn into a monster at lvl16. At lvl16, kindly ask your teammates to go for massive push with you. DK's maximum potential is at lvl16 so don't waste it. Don't forget to activate your janggo during teambattle and abuse your Elder Dragon Form. Only stun when there is someone casting a channeling spell or when chasing enemy heroes down as you might be targeted easily if you rushed forward to cast Dragon Tail. Finally, try to end the game ASAP after you reach lvl16 as your opponent's carry will become stronger than you if you drag the game.
Items Not To Get
Jusitification
OK, before I get flammed, I know that most items above are common for Dragon Knight. However, they aren't suitable for my playing style. Firstly, Soul ring might be a good item but you are already going for Battle Fury. So, dont waste unnecessary gold. Furthermore, with your early game str, you cant afford to lose that extra 150 hp. You are a farmer not some mid game killer. Leave Armlet and go for Battle Fury. Besides, if you dont have high amount of hp, activating Armlet will decrease your hp to zero before you even notice it. Alright, I might be over exaggerating and I have to agree that Armlet provides alot good stats for DK. However, you need to invest your early game gold into better farming items. Armlet can be purchased later in the game but I would rather go for better items such as SNY and Heart. Radiance seems to be a good item but you already have a splash damage. You need stats, AS and MS not just raw damage. Lastly, Deso, Skadi and Basher are just useless during your Elder Dragon Form.
Conclusion
DK is an all rounded hero and is best used as a carry. However, he needs massive amount of farm and good teammates to support him. Moreover, he is only strong during lvl16-lvl20. Therefore, we seldom see him being used in world tournaments.
FAQ
Q: Why do you choose BF?
A: Notice that I didn't care leveling up my 2nd level Elder Dragon Form till lvl15. FYI, the 1st level of Elder Dragon Form does not have a splash attack. Although BF's cleave damage is useless during Elder Dragon Form, you can farm alot faster with BF in human form during early stages.(One hit on every creeps + a Breath Fire) HotD is not taken early as the 1st level of Elder Dragon Form has an orb effect that is too great to lose.
Q: Why don't you level up your 2nd level Elder Dragon Form at level 11?
A: Level 1 Elder Dragon Form takes down tower about two times faster than Level 2 Elder Dragon Form. Tower gold is essential during early game stages.
Q: Why didn't you mention about ganking?
A: It is pretty obvious you are not a good ganker. Judging by the stun range, and low movement speed, it is hard for you to land a stun unless you get someone with a long stun duraton to gank with you. Why don't leave ganking to your teammates (who have better ganking heroes) and farm an extra two or three creepwaves which gives you around 400 gold? If you really like ganking, then don't choose DK.
Q: Why don't you go for Soul Ring, Armlet, HoTD, Hyperstone and Radiance build?
A: I would like to ask which item you will get 1st. If you rush Radiance, it will surely increase you farming speed. However, Radiance cost 800 more than BF and it is not easy to keep 3800 gold. Radiance provides raw damage, and no mana and hp regeneration. Let's say you go for Soul Ring later. Then, you will need another 800 gold. Just top up 125 gold and I can go for a Janggo which increases all stats by 9, add 9 damage and some bonus movement speed and attack speed. Some of you will disagree with me as you guys will go for the Armlet, Soul Ring + HotD build. Note that you need some serious farming to farm out these items too which cost a total of 5250 gold. Assuming you guys level up your lvl2 Elder Dragon Form at lvl11 and start farming with it. Fair enough, you will get the cleave damage and farm fast but why spent so much to farm? As I say, armlet is for those mid game killer and ganker such as Huskar, Sladar and Spirit Breaker. Notice that these heroes have high att speed and can deal huge amount of DPS in a short period of time. The bonus str, as and damage are essential for them during tower diving and killing heores quickly. As for hyperstone, I already have the AS from Janggo and SNY. However, you can always purchase it later during later phase of the game.
Q: Why do you choose SNY?
A:SNY provides abit of everything. It solves you AS and MS problem, provide some HP and a little damage. Works and stacks well with Janggo.
Q: Why don't you include BKB into your item built?
A: BKB is totally situational. DK can abuse it's range during Elder Dragon Form which makes BKB not a core item.
Q: What is the weakness of your built?
A: Alot people mentioned about the wasted cleave damage from BF but it depends on how you judge it. Long ago, people tend to get Secpters for OD just for its int to maximise it's ulti damage. (note that Secpter those days do not upgrade its ultimate like today) Another thing is I don't really focus alot on DPS items.
Q: Why don't you provide other alternative build for DK?
A: As you can see, alot people already know the traditional build for DK, so there is no point pointing it out again. Items are always situational. For example, you can skip BF and go for Armlet and level up level 2 Elder Dragon Form to defend against a very heavy pusing line up. However, if you can't find space to farm, there is a problem with your team strategy.
Last Word
Happy Owning!
Knight Davion the Dragon KnightAuthor: Nigel Tee
Map Vers.: 6.72f
Dragon Knight's Short Guide
Choose Knight Davion
Last Comment:29/01/2012
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